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“Oh hi I’m Meghan, where are you from,” says a tall brunette on my first day of college.

” I’m from Pasadena, California. You know where the Rose bowl is?” I reply.

“The Rose Bowl? Never heard of it…”

The previous response is one I’ve come accustom to hearing. I say Pasadena and people seem to have no idea what I’m talking about. I often mention that Rumor Has It, the movie with Jennifer Anniston that tells the real story of Mrs. Robinson in Pasadena. Sometimes, I get a few “Oh I remember that movie!”s, but if that reference doesn’t ring any bells, I’ll mention the rhyme the Little Old Lady of Pasadena. And, then when I’m really desperate, I call upon the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl. For those of you who don’t know, The ROSE PARADE and ROSE BOWL are SHOWN NATIONALLY!!! So If you still don’t know what I’m talking about when I say Pasadena, you should try sometime turning on the television around the holidays! On New Year’s Day anyone with basic cable can see my very own hometown of Pasadena! It is right out of Los Angeles after all!

Anyways, now that you all know about Pasadena, I thought I would take some time to talk about fellow Pasadena natives. The famous design duo Rodarte has had a great couple of years. They went from being utterly unknown to debuting at fashion week in 2005. Rodarte is made up of two sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy. The girls combine innovative wrapping techniques with beautifully crafted silhouettes turning their models into bonafied futuristic goddesses. In their most recent collection Fall 2009 RTW, they use narrow belts to accent their models tiny waists as well as crinkled, leathery textured fabrics to engulf their models’ shoulders and torso. One of the most innovative aspects of their designs is the black or leathery grey thigh high boots they combine with every outfit. Instead of using typical neckline styles like a boatneck, v-neck, or even crew neck, the Mulleavy’s opted for a very high neckline occasionally paired with a circle style scarf. The designers use the models bodies as art transforming their shoulders and torsos into almost sculpturesque forms. Kate and Laura Mulleavy have become so successful that famous celebrities can be seen wearing their designs on the red carpet. For example, most recently Reese Witherspoon and Natalie Portman showed up to the Oscar’s this year in Rodarte’s designs. The Pasadena designers may have become instantaneously famous, but I have no doubt that their fame will last for years to come. I wish the same could be said for the city of Pasadena, California.